Swansea Bay UHB - RE:FIT 4MW Solar PV Installation

Vital Energi used Phase 1 of the Re:fit project to reduce the energy usage across the Health Board’s Estate by installing a range of energy conservation measures.  This resulted in a reduction of over 3.58m kilowatt hours for Morriston Hospital which accounts for approximately 19% of its electricity usage.

Because Phase 1 was successful in reducing the hospital’s electricity demand, the solar farm now provides a higher percentage of the electricity they use, accounting for almost a quarter of the electricity consumed by Morriston Hospital.  This approach to the Re:fit phases ensured maximum decarbonization.

Our team took full responsibility for preparing the 20,000m² site and organized the geotechnical and topographical surveys as well as checking the soil acidity and resistivity.

We employed a flexible frame system which was capable running over any mounds or bumps across the two fields.  This system meant that we didn’t have to undertake any invasive ground works and there was minimal impact on the environment.

Due to the size of our in-house expertise and nation-wide supply chain we were able to allocate 28 operatives on site who installed over 300 panels per day, once the framework had been set up.  They installed approximately 4,500 panels within two weeks and the full 10,000 panel installation was completed in just over 5 weeks.

The electricity is transported from Brynwhillach Farm to Morriston Hospital via a 3km private wire high voltage cable. Our team took responsibility for gaining all permissions, undertaking all trenching, installation and reinstatement whilst ensuring minimal disruption during the installation.

Morriston Hospital has a main intake switch board which distributes power throughout the site.  We extended this switchboard to allow the solar farm to be connected and worked closely with the Distribution Network Operator to ensure our solution was fully compliant with their standards.

Vital created a smart solar PV system which was G99 compliant, secure and capable of responding to changes in the national grid. Whilst traditional systems would go offline in response to changes in the grid’s frequency, our system has a limited ability to feed into the fault, helping to make the grid more stable.

The solar arrays are connected as strings, with 28 panels in each string.  These strings are monitored by our SCADA system which can assess if each string is performing as expected.  This allows early detection and diagnosis of each string of panels and allows our engineers to address any issues.

Due to the critical nature of the hospital’s electricity supply it was essential that the contribution from the solar farm would not compromise the continuity of supply.  Our team designed a scheme which delivers electricity at a slightly higher voltage than the grid to make it easier to utilise and, when available, will always be the first choice of supply.  During the night, when the solar farm isn’t generating electricity, the hospital will revert to taking electricity from the grid.

In the unlikely event of grid failure, the hospital will take electricity from its back up generators and the solar farm will disconnect until it is safe to bring it back online.

As part of the RE:FIT framework, all clients receive an energy performance contract which guarantees certain KPIs in important areas such as carbon reductions and energy savings which gives the Health Board budget certainty.

During the investment grade proposal process we performed an extensive energy survey on Morriston Hospital.  This involved us taking their metered electricity data from previous years, looking at their day and night-time tariffs and the carbon emissions factor of the grid electricity used. We then took this information and fed it intro a commercial model which demonstrated the potential savings.

On this project we guaranteed that the solar farm will deliver over £487,000 in energy savings which amounts to a reduction of 17.9% in energy costs.  Additionally, the project will deliver carbon savings of almost 1,000  tonnes per year which equates to 10% of the hospital’s yearly emissions.

We use Vital View, our bespoke software to monitor performance and provide regular, monthly reports to the client so they can have full confidence in the performance of the Solar Farm.

The solar PV farm marked a significant monetary investment and it was important that the site will be safe and secure for the duration of the project’s design life.  We delivered a 2m high fence which will secure the perimeter of the site and a CCTV which will allow the site to be monitored by hospital personnel.

We have agreed a operation and maintenance schedule which will see us ensure the long-term performance of the scheme.  This involves regular visits to site to check the framework, panels and electrical systems, in addition to the constant remote monitoring via our SCADA system.

We have also ensured the essential consumables and spare parts on are on-site to enable easy maintenance and have also taken responsibility for the groundskeeping and litter management.

Since going live, the project has impressed judges in some of the UK's most prestigious awards including:

• The 2022 ADE Awards - Contribution To Net Zero - Winner
• Solar & Storage - Community/Social Project of The Year - Finalist
• ADE Awards - Integrated Energy - Finalist